Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
1989 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Snake
己巳年 Earth Snake, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Snake, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 1989.
The answer
1989 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac: a Earth Snake year, 己巳 (jǐ sì) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990, so people born from 1 January to 5 February 1989 belong to the previous animal, the Dragon. China recorded 24.14 million births in 1989.
1989 at a glance
- Animal
- Snake 蛇 (shé), sixth of the 12
- Element
- Earth 土, yin (阴), from the stem 己 (jǐ)
- 60-year cycle
- 己巳 jǐ sì · the same Earth Snake year was 1929 and comes again in 2049
- Starts
- Monday, 6 February 1989 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Friday, 26 January 1990 · the Year of the Horse begins the next day
- Lichun
- 4 February 1989 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 1989
- 24.14 million in mainland China (NBS), −2% on 1988
- Age in 2026
- Turns 37 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2037
- Best matches
- Rooster and Ox (三合 trine), Monkey (六合 pair) · clashes with the Pig
Born in 1989? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 1989 the cut-off was 6 February 1989.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 5 Feb 1989 1989 | Dragon 龙 | Earth | 戊辰 |
| 6 Feb 1989 – 31 Dec 1989 | Snake 蛇 | Earth | 己巳 |
| 1 Jan 1990 – 26 Jan 1990 | Snake 蛇 (still) | Earth | 己巳 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (4 February 1989 in 1989) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Snakes: China’s births in 1989
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 24.14 million births in mainland China in 1989, −2% compared with 1988 (24.64 million); 1990 had 23.91 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 1989 ranks 15th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 1989’s babies belong to the Dragon and the first weeks of 1990 to the Snake. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Snake means
Tradition calls Snake people wise, calm and private, and pairs them best with the Rooster and Ox. The element adds a layer: a Earth Snake is read differently from a Metal Snake. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Snake years. Read the full Year of the Snake guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Snake
The Snake returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Earth Snake itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 10 Feb 1929 | 29 Jan 1930 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 27 Jan 1941 | 14 Feb 1942 |
| 1953 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 14 Feb 1953 | 2 Feb 1954 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 2 Feb 1965 | 20 Jan 1966 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 18 Feb 1977 | 6 Feb 1978 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 6 Feb 1989 | 26 Jan 1990 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake 金蛇 · 辛巳 | 24 Jan 2001 | 11 Feb 2002 |
| 2013 | Water Snake 水蛇 · 癸巳 | 10 Feb 2013 | 30 Jan 2014 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake 木蛇 · 乙巳 | 29 Jan 2025 | 16 Feb 2026 |
| 2037 | Fire Snake 火蛇 · 丁巳 | 15 Feb 2037 | 3 Feb 2038 |
| 2049 | Earth Snake 土蛇 · 己巳 | 2 Feb 2049 | 22 Jan 2050 |
Matches for people born in 1989
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 1989
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 1989. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 1989 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 6 February 1989 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 20 February 1989 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 5 April 1989 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 8 June 1989 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 14 September 1989 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 5 February 1989 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 1989?
1989 is the Year of the Snake (蛇, shé). In the full 60-year cycle it is 己巳, a Earth Snake year, yin (阴). It began on 6 February 1989 and ended on 26 January 1990; 1990 is the Year of the Horse.
I was born in January or February 1989. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Snake started on 6 February 1989. Born on or after that date, you are a Snake; born between 1 January and 5 February 1989, you are a Dragon. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 4 February 1989 in 1989; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 1989 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth (土, tǔ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 己 (jǐ), which also makes 1989 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Earth Snake, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1929 and the next is 2049.
How old is someone born in 1989 in 2026?
Someone born in 1989 turns 37 in 2026 (36 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 38 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Snake?
2037, starting on 15 February 2037. For someone born in 1989 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 1989?
About 24.14 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −2% compared with 1988. That ranks 1989 15th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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